This study investigates the rise of South Korea’s webtoon industry and the fan–translators who are contributing to the transformation of this entrepreneurial digital comics format. By analyzing the creator-owned thriller series Bastard (2014 –) and its various foreign-language versions, the authors demonstrate how cultural intermediaries are localizing content and cultivating new audiences through a process of 'collective innovation'. The characteristics of this crowd-sourced activity offer new understanding of the dynamics and potential impacts of this digital comics industry, which is rapidly transforming with only limited policy intervention. The study illustrates how the French digital comics platform Delitoon is attempting to compete in this Korean-dominated domain, raising questions for enterprises seeking to join this popular wave of digital media. In doing so, this study fosters debate for business managers, policymakers, and practitioners in Europe’s creative industries who are developing and promoting creator-owned content while challenging protectionist boundaries.

这项研究调查了韩国网络漫画行业的兴起以及为这种创业型数字漫画格式的转型做出贡献的粉丝翻译者。通过分析创作者拥有的惊悚系列《混蛋》（2014 –）及其各种外语版本，作者展示了文化中介如何通过“集体创新”过程来本地化内容并培养新的受众。这项众包活动的特征使人们对该数字漫画行业的动态和潜在影响有了新的认识，而数字漫画行业正在通过有限的政策干预而迅速转变。这项研究说明了法国数字漫画平台Delitoon如何试图在这个韩国主导的领域中竞争，这为寻求加入这一流行数字媒体浪潮的企业提出了疑问。为此，本研究引发了业务经理，决策者，